Thanks to the Inland Empire Daily Bulletin (whose circulation department is worthy of a separate peroration, which I will leave to K. as he is more eloquent on the subject), I just browsed through the annual report on the state of the state schools. (That link is just for LA County.)
I don't know all that much about how the figures (achieved and target) are ascertained, but I noted with a soupçon of smugness that three of Pomona's elementary schools scored better than any of Claremont's schools.
The next time one of my colleagues asks "How do you like living in Pomona?" in that tone of voice that suggests that we all have "Thug Life 4evah" tattooed on our abs, I'm going to shrug nonchalantly and say, "Oh, Pomona has its problems, but at least it's not Claremont."
2 comments:
One thing to mention on the target and such. The law is written such that every school must hit 100% proficiency by 2014. As the deadline gets closer, the targets move rapidly toward infinite education and reality will hit every campus in the nation. When you expect students with learning disabilities, students that may have started learning English 6 months ago, or students with more problems at home then you or I could imagine and say they must all read "at grade level" something has got to give and it wont be reality.
But kudos for Pomona's achievement, and thanks for the list, I'm trying to figure out where to send my Pomonite.
I'd 2nd the comments by Anon.
I'm a supporter of testing, simply for the accountability it thrusts on school districts. The performance at every school matters, not just the ones with the vocal parents.
When I peruse the lists, I gravitate towards the Similar Schools Rank. Wow, parent education level and socioeconomic status affects test scores. Who would have guessed? And some food for thought, all of PUSD's elementary schools but one score 5 or over. Congrats to some great teachers.
I've previously indicated my bias for neighborhood schools, so let me just say: weigh the numbers, consider if it may benefit your child to know his/her peers in the neighborhood, and lastly, expect to supplement their education at home regardless of your choice.
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